Forever Be Mine
by Tirya King
Summary: [G1] Response to a meme on livejournal. Four prompts. Four pairs. Four ways to show someone you care.
1. Hugs

A/N: Yes I know it's November, but that's just too bad. :3 I'm going to be uploading a large backlog of fics soon, and this will be the first installment. Some time back, I did a meme on livejournal for Valentine's Day. There are four mini-fics, one for a different couple. The ones that are slash (two of them) are clearly labeled in the scroll-down chapter titles, so have no fear of coming across one by accident.

This first one isn't slash. It's for a pair of OC's created by myself and Shiribot. It takes place in the TFBlogs-verse in which a warp wave caused strange things to happen, the least of which turning some 'bots into humans and vice versa. For my OC Lockout and for Shannon's OC Frostbite, this change was permanent even after the wave had passed. Not much history you need to learn for this ficlet to make sense. Just read and enjoy and don't sweat the small stuff ; )

Hugs

How ironic, she thought as she walked to the ship's bridge, that he only one not celebrating the human holiday was the human. Well former human. Ok, so one of the former humans. Last anyone saw Frostbite, the normally snarky lawyer was on her way to Engineering, an eager grin on her face.

Not that Lockout begrudged her for that; it was good to see Frostbite and Wheeljack so happy lately. Whether or not that happiness stemmed from a good friendship or something more was anyone's guess, but they deserved it nonetheless.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Lock," Jazz greeted cheerfully from his seat at his console. Leaning back in the chair, and feet propped up on the counter, the black and white bopped his head in time with the radio playing only in his internal radio. Yes, the holiday was treating him very well so far.

"Same to you, Jazz," the blue and grey minibot responded. "I heard one of the computers was giving you some trouble?"

"Yeah. That one on the end," he pointed over to the one. "Sounds like a Seeker's engine every time we try to pull up a diagram."

It sounded like a problem easily rectified, but at least it would keep her busy for an hour or two. Hopefully busy enough that her thoughts wouldn't wander too much.

No such luck, of course. It was too tedious a job for that.

At first she would have done anything to return to human form. Being a robot… was so unnatural, so _alien_ if one could forgive the pun. She'd had to relearn almost everything, from how to walk, to how to 'eat' which was a process much stranger than it seemed when the food was nothing less than liquid energy! And transforming… that was a process she'd much rather pretend came naturally. Ratchet had seen a lot of her the first few weeks after some incredibly embarrassing attempts left the young minibot stuck mid-way.

As time went on, she became more and more accustomed to her new body, and of _being_ her former car. And the more Lockout got used to this life, the faster Melissa died. There would always be something different about her, something innately human, but already her memory failed at certain points. After a few years she'd forgotten the feel of clothes on her skin, or what her mother's turkey dinner tasted like. She could tell you what made a human attractive in the physical sense, but it had been quite a while since she'd last looked twice at one. Even her friends and family were slowly becoming foreign to a femme now getting comfortable with a life at war, risking her life for a fight she'd had no part in causing. That was what felt normal now. Not college not a minimum wage job at a trendy coffee shop. That life was for humans.

As time went by, and Lockout came to accept and even like her new life, she kept in touch with her old one less and less. The only people she ever really talked to anymore was her family, for that would never change. Only… all except her mother and grandparents stopped calling her Melissa. Even her own brother called her Lockout now.

This was probably for the best, she sighed, making her way through the software, trying to locate the problem. She and Frostbite had so far skirted around the issue, but… it wouldn't be long before their old life would come back with a vengeance. With every year gone by, with each friend getting married and having children. With every parent and sibling growing old and passing away. Life would go on around them, but for these two femmes, time had virtually stopped. It wouldn't be long now before a new world would exist, one that was unfamiliar and in which they had no place any longer.

It was this thought that bothered her most and what surely must bother Frostbite, even if she didn't say anything about it. Not to her at least.

"Hey, you alright, Lock?" Jazz asked, noting the sad pensive look on the light blue femme's face.

"Yes, I'm fine," she answered, forcing a smile to her face.

"You sure? Too good a day t' spend upset 'bout somethin'." Again she nodded, but he wasn't quite convinced. With a shrug and a smile he made some excuse and left, knowing where to go to make sure that dark mood would be lifted.

Too good a day… of course it was, it was Valentine's Day. Melissa had always found some way to make the most of it, be it with a boy or her friends or even with her family. Not this year though. The Autobots were more than welcome to celebrate the holiday in their own way. It was even nice in the way some of them creatively recreated a certain tradition to meet their needs. Yet nothing beat a bucket of Ben & Jerry's with three of your closest friends, collectively bemoaning your loveless lives. Even if she couldn't remember ice cream anymore.

"Lockout?"

Startled, the femme dropped the tool she was using, letting out a yelp. "'Latch!"

Chuckling sheepishly, the green minibot walked into the room fully. "Heh, sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."

"Didn't scare me," she replied, knowing he wasn't fooled. Yet her friend didn't push the point and for that she was grateful.

"Jazz said you were upset about something," he said, kneeling down enxt to her to help with the stubborn computer. After all, he'd done this a lot longer than she had.

"No, not upset," Lockout shook her head. Rattlelatch didn't say anything, but from the look on his face, she could tell that this also didn't fool him, but this time he wanted an answer. Well she owed him that at least.

"I was just thinking," she told him, knowing he new what that meant. Of all the 'bots on base, she felt the most comfortable around him. He was her best friend, the one who'd been her guide when all this happened, and she'd told him all of her fears about her new identity. For his part, Rattlelatch had been nothing but understanding and supportive. What they were to each other exactly she probably couldn't say. There was a definite attraction there, the wish to be more than what they were. Other hints were there as well, like embraces that lasted a little too long, or a touch or kiss in private. Yet both skirted around the subject for the most part. In her case it was mostly nerves that failed her, and she suspected the same with him.

"Y'know," he said after a moment of silence, "sometimes too much thinking is bad for you."

"So I've heard," she smiled ruefully. "Can't help it sometimes."

They were quiet again for a few minutes, finally finding and fixing the glitch in the computer. Rattlelatch's presence helped to calm the blue femme's mind, letting her focus on the task at hand. He'd always had that effect on her.

"Thanks for the help," she said when the silence had gone on too long.

"No problem," he replied, smiling a little nervously. "Anything to help."

Returning the smile, Lockout subspaced her tools and stood up to go, not noticing the sudden frown on Rattlelatch's face. He shifted from side to side as she took one step. Then another.

The blue minibot stifled a small gasp of surprise as a green blur blocked her way out. Then she felt arms wrapping around her, holding her close to the mech who owned them.

"Don't be sad," Rattlelatch murmured quietly. "Not today."

She relaxed into the rare embrace, hugging him back tightly. This was one of the things she loved about him; his ability to make her feel better, even with just a simple hug. "I'm not," she replied, kissing his cheek in gratitude. "Not anymore."

A soft smile returned to Lockout's lips as she rested her head on Rattlelatch's shoulder. Who cared if she couldn't have a true human Valentine's Day anymore? Her human Valentine's Day hadn't had him in them, and this mech was much nicer than all the tubs of Ben & Jerry's in the world.


	2. Unique: slash

A/N: Well here's the second ficlet. As seen in the chapter scroll down thingie, this is a slash. This second piece was very much inspired by PuraJoBot as corrupting as she often is. I received an email from someone who wanted to know about the rpg mentioned in the previous ficlet. It can be found on Livejournal under the community name TFBlogs. My character's 'screenname' for the game is 'lockandstock' if you care to look her up. From her journal you will be able to find the rest of the game easily.

Unique

Thankfully all the whispers had nearly ceased. If there was one thing to be thankful for about the rumor mill, it was that while a sometimes vicious thing, it had the attention span of an Insecticon. Yesterday's big news would always be dropped in favor of today's new scandal.

Well it wasn't like the world was ending or anything, thought First Aid. He'd just found someone to spend extra time with. Ok so it was a bit more than that, but still… It was his life and he didn't see how it was the rest of the Ark's business what he did or who he spent time with.

"Hey, 'Aid, when you're done with that I need some help in the back," Ratchet's voice drifted from the back storage closet that had been lovingly dubbed the Black Hole due to its habit of sucking in random objects never seen again. The CMO had decided that morning that the best way to avoid all the 'lovey dovey crap' of the day was to do some much needed cleaning. That, apparently, included First Aid who would much rather be spending the holiday with one or two other mechs. Nevertheless he nodded in response and chirped a dutiful "yes boss!" before returning to his current task.

Lost in his thoughts, the junior medic didn't hear the door opening behind him. He didn't even notice it when a pair of heavy footsteps crept toward him, trying to remain undetected until the last moment.

He did notice, however, the pair of silver and red arms that slid around his waist. "Sideswipe!" he smiled behind his mask, leaving back against the warrior's chest.

"Hey, 'Aid," Sideswipe murmured, hugging him gently. "What are you doing hiding here today?"

"Duty I'm afraid," was the answer. "With a lull between battles and casualties, now is a good time to get some things done."

"But today's Valentine's Day." First Aid could hear the pout in his voice. "Tell Ratch to give you the day off. I had stuff planned."

The medic struggled against himself, feeling guilty for having to turn him down. "I really am sorry, Sides," he said honestly. "I wish I could. But I'll be off duty tonight."

Turning his smaller lover around, Sideswipe tried one last valiant puppy look to no avail. "Oh fine," he grumbled unhappily. "The picnic can wait then."

First Aid nodded, touching his cheek gently. "A picnic under the stars would be very nice," he agreed. "Don't you think so?"

Agreeing reluctantly, Sideswipe nodded. "Oh ok you win then. We'll have it tonight."

"Thank you." With a small practiced motion, First Aid had his mask and visor off. He smiled gratefully at the mech before him and placed a kiss on his cheek. "You're the best, Sides."

Quirking a smile of his own, the red and black leaned down to kiss his mate. "I know. It's why you're so nuts about me."

The medic chuckled and nodded. "Of course it is."

Stealing another kiss, the warrior smirked. "You're cute."

"Ah, but it's just for you."

"Slagging right it is," he lifted his chin proudly. "Better _not_ be for anyone else. You're _my_ cute medic."

"And you're my overconfident warrior," he swatted him gently. "Now go on, I have work to do."

"Aw fine. Meet me out front when you get off?"

"You have my word." He chuckled fondly. "Now go on. Shoo."

With one last stolen kiss, Sideswipe obeyed, slipping something into his medic's hand. He grinned and left, needing to make last minute changes to his plan.

First Aid watched him go with a small sigh, fingering the delicate rose left in his hand.

"'Aid, wake up out there! There's some vacuum in here trying to eat me!" a desperate cry came from within the Black Hole closet.

Setting the rose on the counter, First Aid moved to the closet. Few people really understood the kind of love he and the proud warrior shared. Theirs was a unique love, but it was one he never wished to be without.


	3. Sea

A/N: Here's the third of four ficlets. The two featured here are Flattop and Pursuit. Flattop is an OC of mine, also seen in 'Tales of a Lifetime' and 'Nurture vs Nature.' Pursuit is the OC of PuraJoBot (yes I can blame you all I want). Pursuit is the creator of Prowl and Pura, the latter of which belongs to Jo. As does Blue Wing. Hm… am I missing anything? I don't think so…

Sea

She knew she shouldn't be feeling like this. As her eldest would say, she was being irrational. Yet Pursuit couldn't help but to notice everyone else around her. It hadn't been long since she joined her mate on Earth and already his and the others' enthusiasm had indoctrinated her into the customs on this planet. Everyone enjoyed celebrating the humans' holidays, especially with their human counterparts there to show how it was done. Flattop had been delighted, of course, due to his love of all things foreign. And Pursuit? Well she'd had no choice in the matter but to be dragged along. Not that she'd minded all that much, she had to admit with a small smile.

Today was another of those human holidays, and Primus did they have a lot! Today was Valentine's Day, a day for lovers and friends to show their affection for each other. All throughout the base there were cards, energon goodies, flowers, and parties… even those who were not as enthusiastic as others were celebrating in some way. Prowl himself had posted an open envelope outside his office door when he got tired of stepping over valentine cards slipped under his door. She had yet to see Pura and Blue Wing show themselves to the public yet.

Unlike the majority, she _did_ have someone special to celebrate the day with. Yet the day had come and all Flattop had done so far was give a quick kiss to his sleepy mate before dashing off to work. Primus, she knew he was a military bot, and an officer on top o fit, but why this day too? There was no way he could have forgotten what day it was, so where was he? Couldn't he have taken the day off this one time? Apparently not, because he was gone and she was still there.

Realizing she was getting dangerously close to sulking, the black and silver femme got up to make herself useful. Still a civilian, she'd made the deal with Prime and Prowl that she could stay under the condition that she use her skills at building now and then for their cause. Well that and the fact that Prowl wouldn't dare tell his creator to leave. She'd kick his can for it, in public if need be.

Pursuit reached for a few tricky parts on the workbench in their quarters were a half assembled project lay. They would probably need to ask Wheeljack for help on it, but for now it would keep her occupied.

"Topper to 'Suit. You there, babe?"

Oh sure, _now_ he decided to acknowledge her existence. "Wouldn't be anywhere else," she responded nonetheless. May as well see what the airhead wanted.

"You busy?"

"Well no, but…"

"Good. Meet me on the north side of the mountain."

Looking up from her project, Pursuit couldn't help a small smile. "You're off-duty?" she asked, regretting ever thinking he'd ignore her today of all days.

"Nah, still have another sweep to do on the coast," he answered as though discussing the weather. She cursed him again, the insensitive airhead.

"Then why do you want me to…"

"You'll see. C'mon, I'll be there in a few cycles. Top out." He cut the link, stopping any protest she might make. Part of her wanted to stay here rather than give in to his request. What won out in the end, however, was her desire to go, if only to forcibly rearrange his flight systems.

By the time she made her way outside, the last thing on Pursuit's mind was how to best spend their festival for lovers with her mate. True to his word, the SR-71 was already circling above lazily, waiting for her to join him.

"So what's this all about, Top?" she asked with her hands on her hips.

"Just want some company for my route," he answered, making a landing. "Hop on."

Well used to riding on him by now, it was quite easy to find a comfortable spot on his back that wouldn't hinder him as he flew. Years of practice had made him equally used to her weight and riding abilities, so Flattop wasted no time getting into the air. With a swift push of his thrusters they climbed higher into the sky.

Pursuit had gone with him on numerous flying missions, but something about this one felt… different. Laying her doorwings against her back to decrease drag, the femme looked around at their surroundings.

The ocean lay beneath them as the jet followed the coastline. To their left the sun was making its final descent into the horizon, appearing to be eaten by the water itself. It was a breathtaking view, and as someone who once lived on an eternally gray dark planet, Pursuit didn't think she'd ever get tired of this planet or its star. She wondered to herself if her mate was looking at this as well, for as much as he loved other worlds, he loved catching Decepticons more, nearly to complete distraction.

It was then that she noticed he wasn't flying like he usually was. There was nothing hurried or aggressive about the flight, just a sort of lazy glide.

"You didn't actually have a night route tonight, did you?" she purred, rather pleased with him.

"Heh alright, you caught me," he chuckled. "But you didn't really think I'd forget this day, did you?"

"I admit you had me going," she replied dryly, feeling guilty for doubting him. "But let's face it, Topper, as much of a flyboy that you are, it wouldn't have surprised me."

"Aw, that's cold!" he laughed. "And for that you'd better hold on…"

Recognizing the tone, Pursuit had just enough time to clutch the Blackbird's 'neck' before he dived, firing up his engines. She yelped in alarm, afraid she'd fall off even though her logical side knew he wouldn't let that happen. "Flattop!"

With a loud war-whoop, the mech pulled up at the last moment, shooting ocean spray high into the air. He laughed in delight as his mate clung to his back. "Almost had you there, didn't I?" he teased.

Pursuit pouted and gave a light smack to his side. "You aft…" she grumbled, all dignity lost. "How is that anyway to treat your mate on Valentine's Day?"

Laughter reduced to a warm chuckle, his speed decreased until he was back to the even lazy glide. "Look around, love."

She blinked in puzzlement but did as she was told, all cynical comments dying on her lips. The moon had risen over the coast and shone upon the beaches and water with gentle splendor. Overhead was the twinkling of stars, laid out in an endless blanket unhindered by any nearby civilization. And beneath them the ocean was smooth black glass, occasionally rippling with waves. So this is what her sometimes flighty, temperamental, childish, and yet absolutely sweet mate had brought her out here for?

"Happy Valentine's Day, 'Suit," he murmured, knowing she recognized her present.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Top," she replied softly, resting her cheek upon his back as they continued to fly out to sea.


	4. Gold: slash

A/N: Well here's the last ficlet of the meme. This one is slash as indicated in the scroll down ; ) For those of you who think this pairing is totally out of left field, blame Uftaki. She's the corrupter in this one! Though I must admit I do love this pair. And yes, my version of Streetwise is in love with romance novels and is a total cheeseball when he gets going. No, I will not change that : D

Gold

Aw man, he was in for it now… well and truly in it _deep_. It was Valentine's Day and he had no idea what to do for it.

This shouldn't be happening to him! He was Streetwise, slaggit, the smooth king of the romance novel! He knew every chick flick, love song, and romance novel known to man and mech. He should be the last one to worry about Valentine's Day plans.

Yet here he was, with one hour left to go before the end of his city route, and still no idea on what to do. Going back home now with nothing would just be asking for trouble, and Air Raid already knew his schedule, so procrastinating the return home wouldn't work either.

He'd tried to do what it was he did best and observe those around him, soaking up the culture of the humans. Yet he wasn't seeing things he didn't already know. Meals, little cards, chocolate, stuffed animals… all very nice, but nothing he could really do. Nothing practical or appropriate for a mech like Air Raid.

A half hour left to go, and desperate enough to blow his cover, the patrol car pulled up to the side of the street. There he waited until a promising-looking young couple walked by, fingers tightly intertwined.

"Excuse me," he said, causing the woman to jump back in surprise.

"Who said that?" the man demanded, for there were no other humans nearby.

"I did," Streetwise supplied as patiently as he could. "The sexy li'l Nissan to your right."

As one the bewildered pair turned their heads toward the Autobot who gave a friendly flash of his headlights. "It's cool," he assured them in case they decided to bolt. "I'm one of the good guys."

"Oh…" the male human responded dumbly. "So er… can we… help you with something?"

"Yeah actually. Ma'am, what did he do for you for Valentine's Day?"

The humans, as he thought, had certainly not expected such a question from the Autobot. It was the female though who answered first.

"He got me this," she said, eyes shining as she showed off a new golden necklace with a heart pendant in the center. Streetwise could see how excited she was by this, how happy it made her.

"Jewelry…" he mused outloud to himself.

"Why do you ask?" the man asked with a tilt of his head, apparently recovered enough from his surprise to have a conversation with a giant alien robot. A giant alien robot who was interested in Valentine's Day for some strange reason.

"Heh… well I couldn't think of anything to do, and it's getting kinda late…"

"Ah," the woman nodded in understanding. "You have someone special then?"

"Yeah," he answered sheepishly. "And I want to do something just as special, but…"

"Well something gold and shiny never fails," she said with a wink. "But it's the thought behind it that really counts."

Something gold and shiny with thought…

"it's nice and all," he admitted. "But we don't wear things like that."

"You have a big computer brain, don't you?" the man admonished him. "I'm sure you can think of something."

"There's not much time left in the day," the woman added. "So if you're going to do something, you should do it soon. There's nothing worse than feeling forgotten on Valentine's Day."

Streetwise considered this advice solemnly. No, the last thing he wanted was for his mate to feel forgotten today of all days.

"Well thanks for your help," he flashed his headlights again at them. "I think I know what to do."

"Anytime," the pair nodded. Looking at his watch, the male human frowned worriedly. "We should hurry if we're going to make the 5:00 show."

"Allow me," the interceptor said, doors opening. "It's the least I can do."

With surprised chuckles the couple accepted, having never ridden in an Autobot before. Once they were safely secure, in Streetwise tore off down the road, lights flashing. The other cars responded to the police cruiser, moving out of the way for him. What would have been a slow arduous taxi ride turned into a five minute smooth drive, and the humans were delivered safely with plenty of time to spare.

"Have a good night," he said as they got out.

"Thank you," the woman smiled. "Good luck and happy Valentine's Day."

"You too." He started up his lights again and zoomed away, knowing Prowl would scold him for using his alt. mode's perks so he could set up a romantic night rather than a matter of Autobot business. As far as he was concerned though, this was as much an emergency as any and he felt perfectly entitled to it. There was only so much time left in the day, after all, and he couldn't waste it following such silly things as traffic laws.

Once he got to the main highway headed toward the coast, it was all smooth sailing and that was when he made a private call to the object of his affections to meet him at their special spot of the beach.

It was a secluded place that he doubted Beachcomber or Hound even knew about, and that suited him just fine. Plus, as chilly as the February night was going to be, there would be no chance of humans around either.

Streetwise arrived at their beach not long before the sound of engines boomed overhead. Ever the show-off, Air Raid dived at the interceptor before pulling up and transforming at the last moment. He landed with a great flourish.

"I wish you'd stop doing that," Streetwise grumbled good-naturedly after he'd plucked his body and then his dignity up from the sand dune where he'd fallen.

"Aw, I thought you were just scared of flying," the Aerialbot cooed, helping to brush off the dune grass and sand from his lover's front. "Not of flyers themselves."

"And just for that you don't get to find out the end of 'Autumn Silhouettes' for another week."

"Oh whatever shall I do?" Air Raid gave a melodramatic sigh. "Besides, he'll obviously go for the innocent but passionate Cleo."

"Yeah I always wondered why the smart but jealous one never gets the…"

The other mech snapped his fingers in front of Streetwise's face to get his attention back on task. He was too much like an ADD puppy sometimes. "We can debate the cultural existential symbolism of that garbage you read another time. So how about you tell me why you called me out here, huh?"

The white and red grinned in delight. "You know the word existential!"

"Streets."

"Ok ok yeah. Why I brought you out here. Alright, so today's Valentine's Day."

"Oh really," Air Raid crossed his arms in amusement. "I hadn't noticed."

"Hush. Anyway I couldn't think of anything to do so I asked a couple of humans and they said something gold and shiny…"

Air Raid couldn't wait to see where this was going.

"…but I knew we don't exactly wear jewelry, and it would be too small anyway."

"So what did you decide to do in the end?" the warrior asked dutifully.

"I decided to give you that!" his mate pointed at the horizon where the sun was setting.

Well that was certainly unexpected. "You're… giving me the sun?" Air Raid asked, just to be sure he understood correctly.

"It's gold and shiny and big enough isn't it? And not the whole sun, just when it sets. That part is yours." Very few mechs existed who could do something so incredibly corny and ridiculous and still look so honest and joyous while doing it. Air Raid, despite all logic and not for the first time, found himself charmed.

"Just when it sets?" he chuckled, drawing his silly mate in for an embrace.

Streetwise nodded with a lopsided grin. "Yep! I'll save the rest of it for another special occasion."

Laughing, the jet leaned over for a kiss, believing him.


End file.
